The Complications of Time
by arealfishoutofwater
Summary: While the gang plans an assault of the Princess Andromeda, The Prince of Persia returns to a place he'd hoped never to return to, help a woman who can't stand him, and slay monsters he'd wished would never return. Companion to "Are you in, or out?"
1. My Mentor Breaks His Pots

**Alright, this is the companion story to "Are you in, or out?". It is the story of the Prince's second journey to the Island of Time and the complications that arise when he gets there. I will do my best to fill in non-gamers and those who have never played the Prince of Persia series, but I still believe that looking up the wiki articles for "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time", "Prince of Persia: The Warrior Within" and "Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones" and reading at least the plot summaries would be better than the bits and pieces I have to give little by little to keep the story's pace up. By the way, certain flashbacks can be viewed on YouTube, I'll post links at the end of the chapters if you want to see what the prince saw. can be found at: Anyway, here we go!**

**My Mentor Breaks His Pots**

**Prince's POV**

Thunder cracked and rain pelted the hull of my ship like thousands of liquid arrows. Although I had pulled my cloak's hood up, I could still feel the sting of each individual drop as they struck me mercilessly. I felt a pang of consciousness, my faithful crew had been sailing with me for months now, through the Sea of Monsters in search of our destination. They had borne the weight of every problem this ship had faced and, even now with this terrible storm whipping freezing rain into their faces and the thirty foot waves rocking the ship, they let not one complaint slip from their tongues.

The Captain, walked out of his cabin and surveyed the carnage. "This storm shows us no mercy!" he shouted, his voice wavering from exertion. "We shall respond in kind! Reef the Mainsail!"

He began walking towards the mast to watch the crew rig it up, but I held my arm out and pulled him closer. "Bring us closer to the wind." He nodded, unquestioningly. I stared out at the water, the Sea of Monsters could read minds, it knew exactly where I wanted to go, and it was showing me the way. All I had to do was beat its challenges.

The storm clouds were shifting, swirling quickly, taking on almost solid shapes. _Wait a minute,_ I thought. _Those aren't clouds, that's a ship! _There it was, sailing not a hundred yards away, I could even make out the crew, though that fact didn't cheer me up in the least. They were humanoid, but their skin was a pale, grayish, rotting color. Truly ugly faces that were close to human, but held distinctly demonic traits. Beady, black eyes. Short horns were growing out of their foreheads, mouths in permanent scowls. I could hear them yelling, growling in their throaty voices. They all sounded like they needed some eucalyptus for a cold. Most held swords, a few manned giant catapults loaded with flaming rocks.

I noted a dull light emanating from elsewhere and saw that Farah's medallion was glowing. I promptly placed my hand upon my sternum, where the golden trinket was embedded in my armor. That glowing could only mean one thing, Sand Demons. And if they were here-BOOM! An impact rocked the ship. A flaming arrow had pierced the side of the hull, then another, and another. Ropes where trailing from behind them and then grew taught as the demons on the other side pulled with all their might. It only took a moment to realize they were reeling us in like a giant fish. The Captain sensed the imminent danger and drew his blade, holding it high, "Ready your weapons!" and all Hades broke loose. Men were running up and down the ship, some searching for swords, some trying to make sure the ship didn't capsize in the storm.

Our ships were now sailing together, touching at the sides, the entire crew of sand demons had gathered at the walls that separated our ships. All of them screeching, daring us to come closer, to attack. My crew stood before them, gathered at the walls, shouting battle cries and knocking their swords together. I looked over their heads and then I saw her. A women about my age, dressed in an outfit that would make Aphrodite blush. Black fabric managed to cover her more private areas and snake down her legs to knee high boots, but that was all there was to her clothes. She carried two scimitars, which made me wonder why she dressed so scantily, she was a warrior, but she looked more like she belonged in my mortal father's brothel.

The half naked warrior slowly made her way across the deck to the rail. Her black hair whipped in the wind, but through all the chaos and tension, her dark eyes never strayed from me. She was pretty, honestly. She had a beautiful body, and a cute, if curt face. She reached the railing and stood amongst her demons and, without a waiver in her voice or a moment's hesitation she gave her order. "Kill him!"

The demons scattered, blades flashed and five of my crew died before they could even draw their swords. The demons released their catapults, and flaming boulders crashed against my ship. All around me my crew were battling the evil creatures. A pair of them charged me and quickly found themselves decapitated by my blade. Five more surrounded me and began to egg me on, goading themselves into a false sense of security. I reached up to my collar and pulled a string. My cloak caught in the wind and was carried off to Zeus knows where.

The demons now found themselves facing a six foot tall back haired Persian price wrapped in leather armor, wielding a royal sword in one hand and a dagger in the other. My sash danced in the wind and one of the fools was distracted by the quick moving red fabric, he soon found out that he should have kept his eyes on the birdie. The others then found similar fates. I turned around, a giant pile of flaming cargo lay in front of me, I ran around it, cutting through another demon.

Above me, in the crows nest, my lookout was squaring off against three of that woman's men. He swung and cleaved off the head of one, but another clubbed him over the head and he slipped over the edge. "Oh, shit!" I yelled, bracing for the impact. The lookout landed on top of me and the deck gave out, sending us crashing through the floor and into the cargo area. I rolled over, moaning in pain.

The area was flooded, at least six inches of water covered the floor. I glanced over beside me, the lookout was dead. I stood up and began my trek up towards the bow. Just ahead, in the room I judged was just under the Pilot's wheel a demon stood waiting for me next to the steering pole, he didn't have to wait long. I charged. He stood his ground and readied his mace. "I don't have time for this!" I yelled. The demon screeched and lashed out. I knocked his weapon to the side and drove my dagger straight into his heart. The creature crumbled, literally. He was nothing more than a demon created out of the Sands of Time. He finished turning to dust, and his essence was then absorbed by Farrah's medallion, fueling my powers.

The only passage left was the one that led back to the stern, but I had only walked down it fifteen feet before I was sent flying onto my back, the wall exploded out front of me. Boards creaked and splintered, water poured in through new cracks. I recognized the bow of a ship coming through the new hole. _Those little curs rammed us! _I thought. There was room enough for me to get through, but I knew if I wasn't fast enough, the pressure of the water would hold me against the wall and I'd drown. So naturally, I jumped through head first.

Finding myself in the mess hall I sighted in relief. To my right was a rope I knew held the secondary bow sail in place, I grabbed it and swung my sword, the rope snapped. Through the air I flew until I drove my sword into the mast. The thick material slowed my fall from what I judged to be at least fifty feet up. I landed on the floor, and I fought my way towards the bow. That's when I noticed her, she was standing on the upper deck, next to the pilot's wheel. The woman still wouldn't take her eyes off of me, it was like she was fixated, obsessed even. The Captain held his blade high and charged at her from behind, hoping to catch her off guard, she wasn't.

The woman spun around and the Captain suddenly had one leg, he fell over the railing and landed on the deck below with a sickening _crack! _I lost it, I charged up the stairs to the side, a demon guard stood there, he swung his sword at my neck, I blocked it with my dagger and threw him off my ship. I finished climbing the stairs and stared down the woman. She glowed with pure venom. "You will never reach our shores alive!" She declared, waving a scimitar in the air for emphasis.

"For your sake, you better hope I don't!" I charged, she held her ground and waited. I swung my dagger and found myself blocked, I rolled it off and kicked out on the rebound. My boot caught her gut and she flailed backwards, windmilling her arms to maintain balance. I again charged, hoping to take advantage, but she wasn't as out of it as she appeared. I swung my sword and she again blocked, throwing it to the side and lashing out with her other scimitar. I backed away quickly enough to keep my life, but a searing pain ripped through the right side of my face. She smiled.

"You Bitch!" I tore at her again, swinging both my dagger and my sword at her in a criss-cross strike. She rolled back and pounced forward, attempting at my throat again. I knocked the blade aside and jumped off her knee, then off her shoulder. Spinning in midair, I kicked her head and slashed at her back. The kick connected, but she managed to avoid the slash by ducking forward. She spun around and I bought my sword forward in an arc, hoping it would come down on her forehead. But she made an X with her scimitars and caught the blade.

Caught in a power struggle, I was stuck using one arm against both of hers. Neither of us budging in the least. Finally, I managed to gain some headway and powered her own blades towards her. I thought I'd gained the upper hand, but she smiled. "It seems the Empress overestimated your abilities." She'd caught me off guard with that particular name.

"The Empress?" I questioned, my strength faltered for just a fraction of a second, but that was all she needed. She twisted her scimitars, pulling my sword out of my hand, throwing it into the wall, where it stuck. She then kicked me in a very dirty spot, and lashed out once more with her leg. I fell over the railing and into the waiting clutches of a stormy sea...

.

.

"Hey Prince, wake up!" Someone kicked my side. "Hey! We've reached Cuba!" My eyes snapped open, the sudden light, though a dim red, hurt them, but they eventually focused and I saw and old friend standing over me. He sported a full black beard, a pair of really expensive sunglasses and a military cover**(A/N: A "Cover" military is jargon for baseball cap.)**

"Yeah, yeah. I'm up, I'm up." I sat up, tilting my head to crack my neck.

Chip frowned. "Sounds like you were having one hell of a nightmare, man." I snorted and shook my head. Making myself more comfortable on the bench of the C-130 aircraft the US Navy SEALS had so graciously let me hitch a ride on. Like they didn't owe me one, and then some.

"More like a hell of a flashback." He nodded understandingly, a military man to the bone; Chip had seen his fair share of combat. He knew what it was like to have old memories haunt you in your sleep. "You said we're here?" I inquired as I slid my sword onto my back.

"Yup, we're about to touch down. Welcome to sunny Cuba" He cocked his rifle. "I just wish it were under better circumstances, drug raids and border patrol just ain't as fun as hookers and booze. Well... sometimes it is..."

"Only when big things either explode, collapse, or get set on fire." His squad mate, Lt. Jackson finished. Another SEAL smacked the Lt.

"You 'tards! You'll really take getting shot at over fine Cuban senoritas?" He elongated each syllable of the last few words, getting a rise out of the rest of his team. Plenty of hooting and cat-calls followed.

"Say Prince, what 'choo doin' way out heya' anyways?" chief Doyle asked, leaning forward. "Last time we saw you, you was busy blowin' up Al Queda cells in India."

"Got some unfinished business. Same old same old, assholes need killin'." The chief just laughed.

"You and me both pal, you kill somma them fuh me a'ight?"

"Can do." The bay door in the back opened, releasing the sunshine and allowing a breeze to flow through. I waited for the team to get out before extracting myself. The heat was intense, it almost reminded me of Persia, even the sand and the bright blue skies looked familiar, then again, technically, this _was _Persia. Or at least, the essence of it, as geographically, Persia is now Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran and Pakistan. But the citizens who still practice the old ways were shrouded in the mist, living in sparsely populated areas in the southeast corner of the Cuba, moving with the west.

Chip walked up to me, and we headed towards the exit together. "I don't know what's going on, man." He said quietly. "But I know with you, there's always something bigger and more dangerous than what you let on. You heading into the Sea of Monsters?" I nodded. Chip was a son of Ares, I'd known this guy forever and I knew he always trusted his gut.

"Yeah, gonna go hunting. Got some bad monsters stirring in there, gonna take them out."

He raised an eyebrow. "By yourself?"

"No. Not exactly... You could say it's personal, Chip. Let's leave it at that, just know that these two are an eleven on a scale ten threat level."

"Shit." He summarized. We reached the exit gate of the compound and he stopped and grabbed my shoulder. "Look, Prince. I know you've been around, and you don't need me to say this, but watch yourself. I'd go with you if I could, but we've got our own missions. So good luck, and don't get dead."

"Semper Fidelis." I said, shaking his hand.

"That's the Marines!" He called out as I walked away.

"I know, but I still mean it!"

.

.

Ancient Babylonian architecture lay all around, chariots filled the streets, merchants called out to me from their windows, begging me to purchase their goods. Babylon hadn't changed at all in 4000 years. I walked quickly, knowing exactly were I was going. The same place I went the last time shit hit the fan. The Old Man's house.

The Old Man was a legend amongst my people. He has lived even longer than I, yet he's as mortal as any common man. He was rumored to have once been a champion of the gods, it could explain his longevity, but somehow I don't think he was. For one, he's half senile. Wise as Athena one could say, of course, that one may just get blown up for saying that.

I searched the streets until I found the familiar dwelling. A rundown, crumbling mud house, the color of dry earth. I knocked on the door and a moment later it opened. Out front of me stood an elderly looking man, with a cane, dressed in blood red robes. A well sized gray beard hung from his face, and his eye sockets were dark as night with age. These same eye sockets enlarged when he notice whom his visitor was.

"Ah, Prince, please come in. Welcome, welcome." He held the door open so I could enter. The interior was dark, as he'd placed silken curtains over all the windows. Pots and vases littered the shelves. He wobbled over to them and began searching for a specific one. "Can I help you, sire?" He asked.

"The Dahaka. He's back. He's reformed." The Old Man maintained his search, scanning shelf by self, looking for his ingredients. Wrinkled fingers wagging back and fourth.

"You want to know if he'll resume his duties."

"I released the Sands of time."

"'Whosoever shall open the Sands, must die.' The Dahaka, he is the Guardian of the Time line. Four thousand years or four seconds, it means nothing to him. You were supposed to die, so he will catch you, and see to it, that you meet your fate."

"I know this, you know this!" I exclaimed. I leaned against the wall. "I went to the Island to stop the creation of the Sands, but by using the time portals there and killing Kaileena-"

"The Empress of Time? Nonsense! You brought her here, to Babylon upon your return."

"By killing Kaileena, I created the Sands a thousand years before the Maharaja raided the palace. I used the mask of the Wraith! I used my second chance to bring her to the present, so when I'd kill her, it'd be after they'd ransacked the palace. The Dahaka attacked, and I used this sword-" I shook it for emphasis. "-to kill him! Kaileena died when the Vizier killed her, he should have no quarrel with me!"

"You have seen the face of time, my Prince. You know as well as I, that it is not a straight and narrow river, but an ocean in a storm. You may have changed the course of fate but the past-_your past_-still exists. And so does your fate. You opened the Sands, so you _must die_." He found his vase, and pulled it off the shelf. I wondered how he could be so calm about all of this.

"There is one other thing... the Vizier, he's reformed as well." He dropped his vase, it shattered on the floor. Ashes spilled out, coating the rock and billowing up in clouds.

"These are indeed grave times we live in." He sighed. "If Kronos has indeed made an alliance with the likes of _him_... this shows how far he is willing to go this time. He must be stopped, Jafar can not be allowed on the battlefield come wartime. The Dahaka is already enough to deal with, without a false god seeking vengeance."

"My thoughts exactly."

"What are you planning to do?"

I shook my head. "Last time, I killed him with the dagger. But I... no longer have it."

"Where is it? How irresponsible of you, my prince!" He exclaimed, raising his arms.

"You think I knew Jafar was running around?" I began, offended. "Besides, the time line demanded it's giving, or lives would be lost!"

"And how many more by Jafar's hand! It took the _entire city_ just to get you inside the gates of his palace. The sand monsters slaughtered countless people!"

"I know! They were _my people!_ They died _for me!_" I cried and collapsed in a chair, defeated. I buried my head in my hands. "Now Farah's gone off to the Island to fight them both by herself!" The Old Man sighed again, and grasped my shoulder.

"Well then, all this sounds like a day's work for our heroic Prince then, hmm?" He encouraged. He leaned against his staff and waited for my response.

"I'm no hero, but I _can_ help. I _will_ help. She won't like it, but to bad for her. Going up against those two alone is suicide!" I got up and started towards the door. I could sense the old man smiling behind me.

"Go then, my Prince. But remember, you cannot change your fate. No man can..."

**So... there's the first chapter, I hope it's to your liking. Don't worry, I'm not gonna milk this fic, it's just a companion story 7-10 chapters MAX. It's only here to explain some things about the Prince that have already been established in this world, it'll also explain major plot points for "Are you in, or out?"**

**The video for the flashback at the beginning of the story can be found at: www. youtube. com /watch?v=D26AmgXtkU8 (Just remove the spaces and paste into your address bar.)**

**And you can disregard the first minute and twelve seconds, sorry, I couldn't find a link without the chase scene. But the chase scene has very little bearing on the story, if any. Though I suppose you could use it to paint a picture of the Prince.**


	2. I Kill Demons With My Ex

**Aaand chapter 2 is up! Chapter 3 is being planned and written even as I type this. I only have two or three more planned for this companion story before I jump back over to "Are you in, or out?" I again would like to apologize to those who read and enjoyed that fic, my absence was inexcusable. As I've said, I never start anything without intending to finish it. I have almost the entire trilogy planned out, with plot twists around every corner. In fact, there's a MAJOR one coming up in the next "Are You In, Or Out?" chapter. Well, not necessarily the NEXT one, but the events in the next chapter trigger the events of the twist in the chapter AFTER so... they're coming up. Don't worry! But I digress, on with the show!**

**.**

**I Kill Demons With My Ex**

**.**

**4 weeks later...**

**Prince POV**

.

The Island was just as I had remembered it. Three or four square miles**(A/N: Roughly 5 or 6 KM, metric.) **With a huge, decrepit old fortress decorating the whole of it, the way it'd been for thousands of years after Kaileena's death. Weeds and grass grew between bricks, wrecked ships decorated the coast and Kaileena's brutal Sand Demon guards still roamed the place. A wonderful vacation spot.

I made my way through the crumbling halls of the former guard barracks up towards the enormous set of stairs leading to the entry hall. Sadly, even when I'd come here thousands of years ago, they had been (go ahead, guess.) destroyed. I knew of only one way to get into the fortress from here, so when I reached the base of them I made a sharp right turn, heading through a demolished wall. Surprisingly, I hadn't been attacked by any Sand Demons as of yet, but I wasn't counting on my luck holding out much longer.

Because Kaileena; then Empress of Time, had thought I'd come here to kill her, the whole island was still in lock down. In fact, most doors were closed, and would not budge until their switch was pushed. The switches, well, they weren't hard to miss. Easily a square yard wide and eight feet up on the walls. The trick actually, was pushing them. Fortunately when I was a child in Babylon we didn't have video games or computers. We entertained ourselves by running through the city, an activity now known as Parkour.

I ran up the wall, just four feet straight up it and slammed my fist onto the giant button. The door slowly slid open, and I got my answer as to why the Sand Demons had been leaving me alone. Surrounded by them, and holding her own I might ad, was one Princess of the Maharaja. She was dressed in her signature armor, a bronze chest plate, bronze knee high boots and a red skirt. Contradicting this look though, was the large bow she held up high, and the death glare she was giving her assailants, all twelve of them.

I was taken aback, I wasn't expecting this. The woman released her arrow. One demon caught it in the eye, and fell to the ground. The others looked surprised, and glanced at their comrade. Two more found arrows growing out of their necks. "Calls the others!" One yelled, charging at her, sword raised. She narrowly managed to dodge it, she fell to the ground and scrambled backwards as he swung again. A metallic sound echoed throughout the room, the demon gazed up and seemed surprised to suddenly see a tall Persian blocking his sword. "How is this possible?" He cried as I drove said sword through his heart. The demon with the arrow eye slowly got to his feet, as did the ones with pincushion throats. I pulled out my offhand dagger and took my stance. "Who wants to play in the big leagues?" I'll give them credit; they stood their ground. Too bad they didn't stand a chance.

After the final bell rang I walked over to the archer. I held out a hand, she ignored it and pushed herself up. "Why don't they die?" She grumbled, retrieving her fallen bow.

"Oh, you know Sand Creatures; won't die unless you got and artifact of the Sands." I sighed. Sometimes Farah could be a real pain in the butt, but I'd never had a better friend. She turned to me and glared.

"And what are YOU-" She held a finger up to my nose. "-doing here!" I looked at her more closely. Her skirt was dirty and ripped, her face scratched and her black hair a tangled mess. Her blue eyes shone through with nothing but an undying fury. She must have been here for weeks searching around the island.

"I could ask the same question, Farah. What were you THINKING coming here-_alone! _The watersword cannot be attained, yours is a fools errand!"

"I can do whatever I please, you do not _own_ me! We are not even _friends_ anymore! What difference does it make if I came here to visit the locals or find a legendary sword!" Her words stung, we'd been through so much together, granted she didn't remember most of it, partly because technically, it never happened. But that's beside the point, which was she couldn't stand me. I sighed and threw my head back.

"Farah, why must you always over complicate things! How much have we gone through together? If I say it is unattainable, that should be enough for you!" Her eyes grew wide, it suddenly struck me that that wasn't exactly the right thing to say. "I-I-I mean-"

"You dare..." She slowly began. "You dare accuse ME of over complicating things? Mr. 'I change the course of history constantly'? Let me tell YOU something, you little-" I didn't get to hear her profanity. I'd tuned her out, she got like this a lot. I felt the room grow cold, the air suddenly seemed to be made of honey, a presence I had not felt in thousands of years. "Excuse me!" She shook a hand in front of my face. "Are you even _listening_?"

"Run." I told her. She looked confused for a moment, then scowled.

"No." She growled. "You do not dictate my every move!"

"We need to run, _now!_" I insisted, my anxiety was building up. It was as if those previous seven years had never ended. I felt my hands shaking, my heart pounding.

She stared at me like I'd just slapped her grandmother. "No! You cannot control me! What is there to run from, huh-" There was a pound on the the door. I don't think she heard it, she was in Stubborn Princess mode. She raised her arms and cried out. "-NOTHING!" The door crashed through the wall, and on the other side was a man, no, that's not the right term. It was a beast.

Fifteen feet tall, he (it, whatever) put professional body builders to shame. Nothing but muscled darkness. Asymmetrical horns grew out of his head, his eyes glowed yellow, but that was the only other color. He was black-and no, I don't mean African black- I mean starless midnight black, embodied darkness black. The light seemed to shift and bend around him, like it just didn't like him.

"Nothing, huh?" I asked. "Farah, meet my friend the Dahaka!" And with that, I picked her up and started running. Never in my life had something put this much fear in me, except maybe that time Chiron wore a dress to the camp dance, but that's a different kind of scared. I'm talking full on, fainting, pant wetting, cry your eyes out terror.

Farah squirmed in my arms, demanding her release. I struggled to hold on to her as I bolted out the door. When it came to the Dahaka, running was the only answer. We came out to an open room, mostly in tact aside from the thirty foot pit leading straight to the center of the Earth separating us from the corridor on the other side. "Oh," I said. "Wonderful, they still haven't fixed it." Heavy footsteps echoed behind us, the light was fading as he drew closer. I looked around, there had to be someway to get there quickly. I spotted a long red flag decorating the wall adjacent to the pit. "Good enough for me." I shrugged. I set Farah down, there was no way to do it whilst carrying her. "Follow me!" I yelled out.

I ran for the wall. Just as I reached the edge of the floor I jumped. My feet went straight for the wall and in three steps I'd made it to the flag. Using it like a rope to lengthen my run, I gunned for the end of the wall, leaping out of the corner and across the rest of the chasm. Landing in the hall and rolling to lose momentum. Farah, apparently had thought of a better idea. She'd shot an arrow at the ceiling, severing one of the ropes holing a chandelier. She simply grabbed it and swung across.

In the doorway, the Dahaka roared and continued his labored pace. Thank the gods he was a slow runner. We tore down the hall as fast as we could. "What is that thing?" Farah yelled, not bothering to look back.

"The Dahaka!" I tossed out. "He's the Guardian of the Timeline, he ensures continuity. In other words, he makes sure history makes sense!"

"So why's he after us?" She questioned. Her pace began faltering. I took her hand and led her down another hall.

"Later! For now, follow me!" We were nearing a safe zone, I knew that much. A place were I had hidden many times during my last visit. I heard a large crash and knew our pursuer had managed to leap over the pit. Too bad, was it so much to hope he'd fall in?

We turned a corner and I knew we were heading in the right direction. A hall of rundown traps that no longer worked stood before us. Weaving between twelve foot tall spike poles, I managed to keep my pace. Farah however, had never been chased by my father's right hand. And it was beginning to show. Her breathing was labored, she was taking sloppy steps trying to keep up. I wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Not much farther!" I yelled. "C'mon! You can make it!"

Before us was a narrow doorway, barely big enough for a man to fit through. A gentle waterfall cascaded in the gap instead of a door. "There!" I cried out. We were going to make it! Behind us the Dahaka was coming around a corner.

"!ynitsed ruoy teeM !ecnirP ,emoC" He breathed out in his strange, backwards language. His stomach began to bubble. Spikes began growing out of his abdomen. But they weren't spikes, they were tentacles. They reached out, chasing after us faster than we could run. I pushed Farah, she tumbled and fell through the doorway. Spinning around I lashed out with my sword as I dove back. My blade caught the tentacles just as they were about to reach me. I fell through the door a second later, the water pouring onto me. As soon as I was through the tentacles came back. But as soon as they made contact with the water, they reared back, smoking. Far back in the hallway, I heard the Dahaka shriek in agony.

I lay on the ground panting hard. More from fear than exhaustion. Thousands of years ago, the Dahaka had chased me for years. I had never gotten a break, hunger, fear, thirst, lack of sleep. All of the feelings I'd buried from those years, the fear, the anger, the desperation, I could feel them slowly start to come back. I heard a mumble from under me. A hand slapped my leg. At first I thought the floor was alive, but I then realized how silly that was. I was simply laying on top of Farah.

I rolled over onto the floor. I heard her gasp, suddenly able to take in air. "Nice rescue." She said between breaths. "I liked the shove at the end, very heroic." I wasn't in the mood for her games. My two worst enemies were once again breathing and one of them had already found me.

"Well maybe if you'd listen to me for once we'd have had a head start!" I shot back. She remained silent for a moment. I got up and walked to the water fountain on the wall to get a drink. I heard footsteps behind me. I turned around to face her. "Look Farah, we can argue later, okay? We need to get off this island." He face hardened again.

"I'm not leaving without the sword. If what you told me all those years ago is true, then it is our only chance against that creature!" I found myself growling in frustration. Farah didn't know, I hadn't told her what had happened.

"Farah, the Watersword is unattainable. When I killed the Dahaka, it was stuck in him. It fell with him into the ocean. It's gone. Why do you think I had my sword blessed by Poseidon? It won't kill him, but it _should_ keep him at bay." Her eyes grew misty, then they closed.

"No, it is still there. It must be, if it is not... that wouldn't be fair..." She started walking in circles, whispering to herself. Her shoulders were slumped, she looked ready to give up. I sighed, she was right, it was unfair. Our only means of offense against the Dahaka was gone. This gave Kronos a huge advantage. That is, if the Dahaka had joined him, but he didn't seem smart enough to understand war. All he knew was that I should be dead, and so should Farah. So he would hunt us into oblivion. A picture of me and Farah running from the Dahaka after Armageddon passed through my thoughts.

"This room!"Farah said suddenly. Pointing at the architecture. A semicircular wall decorated with a carvings and runes where we'd come from. On the opposite end, a large pit lit with torches on the columns surrounding it and the sunshine from the holes in the wall. From the edge of the pit to the center was a platform about twenty feet long, decorated with spiraling designs cut into the marble. "Didn't you tell me about the rooms like this? The Portal Rooms?"

"Well, yes Farah, but-" She cut me off, her excitement rebounding throughout her whole body. She looked like she was ready for another chase. Blue eyes lit up with the thrill of a good plan.

"So, we can go back in time and get the sword!" She was so excited I almost didn't want to shoot down her idea.

"Farah, that wouldn't work."

"What? Why?" I sighed and leaned up against the fountain.

"Because, if we took the sword before my past self got it, I would never have beaten the Dahaka in the first place. I'd be dead by now, and if I wasn't there to free you in Babylon, neither would you be. If we took the sword, we'd both be dead and the Vizier would probably rule the Earth. No exaggerations." She walked in her circle again, tapping her bow on the floor like a useless cane.

"What if we took it _after_ the Dahaka's death?" I pondered that for a moment.

"Well... I don't see the harm in searching for it... We'd have to go back to that exact day though."

"So?"

"Well... I don't have any idea how these portals work. They were Kaileena's, not mine." I started towards the switches. All I knew was that there was a certain pattern to each portal, you needed to hit the switches in order to activate it. Then you walk into the sandstorm. I has no idea how to change the date. I ran up a pillar on the platform and hit the switch. Sand began pouring out of the funnel. I did the same with the one across, but the sand stopped all together. Farah laughed at my confusion. "Uh... must be another pattern."

After a few more tries I'd succeeded. A sand storm had erupted at the edge of the platform. "So..." I said, standing just before the storm. "Who want's to go through first." Farah walked up to me and allowed me to take her hand so we wouldn't be separated in the Timeline. We stepped into the storm.

To this day I can never describe what it feels like to enter one of Kaileena's time portals. It is painful, yet somehow soothing. Imagine your entire body being ripped apart molecule by molecule as you turned into sand. Now imagine that you didn't care this was happening. It feels more like a massage than what it really was. Albeit a massage by a really angry, spiked glove wearing masseuse.

I tried to focus. I remembered my time on the island, the day I brought Kaileena to the present. I didn't know the date, we didn't keep track of time with calenders and satellites back then, but I hoped the Sands knew where to take me. There was a blinding flash of light, a noise so loud it would put the god of thunder himself to shame, and then it stopped and we fell to the ground. I hadn't even realized we were floating.

"Is it always so... strange?" Farah asked. I imagined she was referring to the time travel and not the statue of the naked man behind me.

"Yeah, I try to avoid things like this. Time is one thing you don't want to play with. Come, let us make haste." As we ran out the doorway, Farah marveled at the rebuilt fortress. Every brick, every painting all clean and neat. Red flags at least thirty feet long decorated the walls. Torches were lit, giving the halls a sort of cozy and inviting glow. I knew there was nothing inviting about this place though. Every corner, every step was rigged to destroy intruders. It was hard enough to stay alive back when it was just me, now I'd have to worry about Farah too. "Bah!" I yelled, disgusted with myself. "We have come back too far! Kaileena is still here! Quickly! We must get to the throne room, it is already set to take us to the time I killed the Dahaka!" Beside me, Farah was running a dead sprint, I wondered how long she could keep that up.

"How do you know?"

"Because I pulled her through it!" We dashed up the stairs and through room upon room of traps and guards, finally we arrived in the Hourglass chamber. It was aptly named of course. A giant hourglass stood in the middle of it. Easily three stories high, the Hourglass was meant to hold the Sands of Time from the mortal world. Once they were created, that is. Which is why I'd come here in the first place, to prevent that.

On either side of the hourglass was a set of curved stairs following the walls up to the throne room. At the base, just before the hourglass, was a small sword rack. I remembered being surprised to see it there when I'd come back to face Kaileena the second time. It was not there at first. It had once held the Watersword, storing it for whomever could activate all of the fountains in the fortress.

I pointed up the stairs. "My past self will be up there, we should follow him. The door will close," I walked up to a wall to the left of the stairs and smashed it down with my sword, revealing a hidden path. "But I know a shortcut."

**.**

**Prince's Past Self POV**

I walked straight up to the throne, ignoring the door closing behind me. Kaileena, or The Empress, or whoever she was calling herself stood off to the side, near the wall to my left. I grabbed Shadee's scimitars off of the throne and tossed them aside. Kaileena looked surprised. "It doesn't have to end this way!" I said. There was nothing I wanted more than to spare her. She had grown on me. Not only that, but her remains would become the Sands of Time, like they did the first time, and I was not sure if the Mask of the Wraith would work a second time.

"You are wrong, Prince. The Timeline has foretold this day, the day were I die by your hand! But only one of us will cheat fate today!" She reached out, her swords flew into her hands. Curse my father for making her a goddess. I ran for the throne and smashed the wall behind it, revealing the passage of the Wraith. Kaileena struck out at me, I blocked with my new sword.

"Please, Kaileena! I do not wish to fight you!" She lashed out again. I ran. She followed me down the passage and into the hidden Portal Room. I made a dash for the storm, so it could take us back to the present. Kaileena had caught up to me, she managed to swing her sword. I focused, saw a slot on my medallion become clear and empty. Time slowed to a crawl, I flipped over her. She seemed surprised that I was moving so fast. I pushed her into the portal and she vanished. I soon followed.

**(A/N: Just to clear this up, this is going into the PAST Prince's present day, not OUR present day. If that makes any sense.)**

Time had certainly done a number on the Fortress. The ceiling of the room was no longer there, and all of the stone from the passage had been reduced to mud. I made my way towards the throne room again. As I'd seen it before, the throne room was now just a large platform in the middle of an extra large pit, leading to the water a few hundred paces down. The carcass of the Griffin I'd slain earlier was still there, rotting near the other side. I jumped over to the platform to Kaileena.

"I know what you have seen-what you _think_ you have seen in the Timeline!" She held her blades up.

"Then you know I have no choice!"

"There is always a choice, Kaileena!" I cried. I was worried she would outright attack me, that she wasn't going to back down at all.

"Then I choose to live, and for you to _die!_" She charged at me with both swords raised, ready to cut me in half.

"Stand down!" I yelled with such force it shocked even me. "I do not wish to kill you!" She hesitated, but relaxed her guard.

"Even if you don't want to kill me, you will." She said, and stared a little glumly at the ground. "The Timeline demands it!"

"No Kaileena!" I said, reaching out, hoping to grasp her shoulder. She shied away and raised her swords again. "You _can _change your fate! I have done so!" She looked up, something was in her eyes. Hope, maybe? "A terrible beast was destined to kill me, but I have freed myself from-" A large crash and a sickening roar interrupted me. Up on a balcony a hundred feet away was the Dahaka. Kaileena gasped and backed away.

"What is that thing?" She cried as he leaped over to us, the ground shook as he landed.

"No. NO!" I yelled to no one in particular. "How is this possible! I have stopped Kaileena from dying in the past! There are no Sands in the hourglass!" I was sick of this, I ran right at him. He knocked me aside and kept walking. Surprised and shocked, I turned around just in time to see him grab Kaileena with his tentacles. He raised her up high. She struggled, hoping to break free. But it was to no avail.

_It is Kaileena who no longer belongs in the Timeline. _I thought. _The beast is after _her_ now! By bringing her here, I have sentenced her to death!_ I got up and ran after him. "This is all your fault!" I coiled my legs and sprang like a cougar, bringing my sword down and slicing through his tentacles. He cried out in pain and shrunk back. _Can it be? This sword, it seems to protect me from the Dahaka! Perhaps he is not so invincible after all! _

I raised the blade, just now noticing the glowing blue aura surrounding the cold steel. Green vine designs decorated it from hilt to tip, giving it extra surface area. I looked at the Dahaka, who was now regarding me cruelly. "AARGH!" I cried out and charged. He swung his left fist and I was sent careening to the other side of the platform. I got up and narrowly dodged a swipe at me with his tentacles. Once again, I slowed time to a crawl. I ran straight at him slicing at his leg, then his stomach and made a final stab into his chest before my power ran out.

The Dahaka roared and leaped away. He again swiped at me with his tentacles, I dodged...and dodged...and dodged until it felt like I was doing a funny dance. Finally one caught me on the leg, it pulled me forward to him, dragging me across the floor. I frantically searched for a handhold, I had no desire to be pulled into nothingness. He hoisted me high over his head and opened his mouth. Despite the situation, I couldn't help noticing his breath was horrid, like pig carcasses and horse stables. I swung my sword out, not caring were I hit him, as long as I didn't get eaten. In a flash I was on the ground and the Dahaka was clutching his shoulder, guess I struck home.

Suddenly the Dahaka was no longer there, he'd been blown away by a huge wave of sand. He roared, hanging off the cliff by his hands. As he struggled to lift his massive frame over the ledge I looked over to Kaileena. Yellow sand was billowing around her, making her red dress flap in the wind. She had both of her swords ready. I guessed she was ready to be nice to me now that I was trying to save her life.

I ran over to the Dahaka, he reached at me as I drew close and managed to swipe my legs out from under me. I fell to the ground, the sword skittered out of my hands and slid away. I started crawling towards it, but apparently I wasn't the only one here who had power over time. As I swam through caramel towards the sword he suddenly appeared before me. He raised his foot to crush me, but I managed to roll away just in time to feel his heel skid my back.

I stood up. The Dahaka now stood between me and my sword. He lumbered after me, ready to finish me off. But I still had some tricks hidden up my sleeves. I rolled between his legs, he stumbled forward into the sudden emptiness. I jumped on his back and he shot straight up. I wrapped my arms around his neck, he didn't like that one bit. The Dahaka shrieked and howled, shaking and bucking, trying to get me off of him. After a few moments he simply fell backwards, hoping to crush me, but I saw that coming and I jumped off of him. He howled in victory, thinking he'd obliterated me.

I grabbed my sword. "Hey! Don't you know never to turn your back on an opponent!" He growled and spun around. I could hear his breathing, deep and labored, he couldn't go much longer. I could though, he'd made sure of that with his damned chases. He ran towards me, I was hoping to roll under him again, but he had already learned from that trick, he caught me in mid roll and slammed me into the ground. The air flew out of my lungs, I could barely see straight. I lashed out blindly with my sword, catching him in the calf. He howled and dropped. I made for his neck, but he wasn't as out of it as he looked and he shifted, sacrificing his other shoulder. He kicked me.

As I flew across the platform for the third time I realized the although intimidating and large, the Dahaka was not my equal in close combat. He wanted to keep me at a distance, where I was unable to strike him, and use his tentacles. I landed by Kaileena's feet. "You are more than welcome to join, you know!" I yelled, hugging my knee.

"And do _what_ precisely?" Well she had a point, she was no good at close fighting. Wait a minute! I had an advantage here! I looked over to Kaileena, then over to the Dahaka, who was still clutching his shoulder.

"Wait for my signal, you will know what to do!" I told her, then ran back into the fray. The Dahaka stood and lashed out at me again with his tentacles, I sliced at them with my sword and continued running. He began to back away, trying to build space, but he found himself being backed into a corner. He clutched his shoulder again, apparently I had cut pretty deep. Good, that would help with my plan.

The Dahaka leaped over me and towards the center of the platform. Lashing out with his tentacles again. They tripped me up as I ran towards him, I hit the ground again. I felt weak, tired. I was loosing energy. This fight was going on for far too long. I was not as tired as he was, but I still would not be able to keep up this pace for much longer.

I stood up, ignoring my buckling knee. I ran at him again, ducking a huge swipe that would have taken my head off. I sliced at his other calf muscle. He buckled again, howling in pain, I guess just the glow from the sword was hurting him. "Now, Kaileena!" A blast of sand blew by and threw him over the cliff. He just managed to reach out and grasp the ledge, too bad his shoulders were wounded. I walked over to him. His was shrieking, howling, spitting in unbridled rage. I drove my sword through his head. It stuck in there, and he fell down into the sea below. There was a large splash and then nothing.

I looked over to Kaileena, she said nothing, but I knew were both relieved. At least, until the water started to bubble. It continued bubbling, until the entire ocean below had turned pitch black. The darkness seemed to be contagious, the walls, the air, the sky all darkened as if night had decided come early today. Then a figure began to emerge. Impossibly tall, easily a thousand times again his previous height, the Dahaka towered over us, standing unharmed in the waters of the Sea of Monsters. As he rose I picked up one of Kaileena's discarded scimitars, I wasn't sure what it could do, but it was better than nothing. He roared, his tentacles waving around in the air like snakes.

Then, just as suddenly as he had risen, the Dahaka screamed in pure agony. As if he'd been taking a bath in sulfuric acid and not walking in saltwater. His form shimmered, his shrieks grew higher and higher as he sank until-BOOM! The Dahaka exploded with the force of the new black powder bombs we'd recently purchased from Crete.

The darkness shrank away, replaced by shining light. The waters flowed cleaner and clearer then ever before. I leaned against Kaileena's scimitar, trying to catch my breath. I felt silk threads blow across my cheek. I looked up and there she was, and she didn't want to kill me. Kaileena...

"Let us return to Babylon. I have had enough adventures for my lifetime." I said, handing her her scimitar back.

**.**

**Prince POV**

.

"Do you see now Farah?" I asked. "The Dahaka fell in the water and blew up, there is no retrieving that sword." We had seen the whole thing from behind a pile of rocks where the throne used to be. Farah didn't look too happy.

"Who is that?" She hissed. Staring at the platform.

"Who, Kaileena? She's the Empress of Time. You don't remember? I must have told you th-"

"Shut up and come on." She growled. I didn't understand what had just happened, but I figured I should probably just do as she said. We made our way down the cliff and around the waterfalls surrounding the area. Once Farah slipped and nearly fell over the edge, only years of experience saved her. I offered the huntress a hand, and again, she ignored it. She was completely silent the whole way down, as if by speaking to me, she would injure herself.

"Is there a problem? I asked. All I received in reply was a death glare. Whatever this was, it was definitely new from Farah. She'd never been like _this_ before. Of course, she'd always been prideful and reckless, but this was something else entirely.

We were now down in the water, near where the Dahaka had died. "There it is!" Farah cried out. I looked down, sure enough at the bottom of the sea was a shimmering blue light. I couldn't believe it. Poseidon had told me it had disappeared from the ocean. But here it was, glowing like a torch under the water. I looked over to Farah and wondered if she had a plan to reach it. The water was at least fifty feet deep, way too far to go on one breath. She dove down anyway, of course.

I wanted to chase after her, but she was too far ahead. I decided it would be best if I just watched her, I could pull her up if she began to wane. She swam straight down, faster than I knew she could. When she reached the watersword she looked up at me and flashed a thumbs up, I think. I wasn't sure, fifty feet underwater is pretty dark. She started her swim back up, but the weight of the blade slowed her down. I noticed her jerky, erratic motions-she was out of air.

I joined her under the surface, wrapping an arm under shoulders and we swam up together. Farah gasped as we breached. Spitting and sputtering, she tried to catch her breath. "What are you, stupid?" I asked. "You thought you could swim over a hundred feet without breathing?" Instead of answering me, she splashed me in the face.

When we reached the shoreline, I hauled her up on to the rocks. She rolled onto her back, sword still clasped firmly in her hand. "Thanks for that." Her breath was still labored, so it was barely understandable.

"Just focus on breathing." I didn't need her thanks, she knew I didn't. Friends don't need to say "Thank you" when another friend saves their life, that's just what friends are for. I looked out to the water. Even though the whole area was closed off from the sea, water still found its way in through waterfalls and underground caves. I'd previously thought the current had carried the sword off to some unmapped coast. Perhaps I was wrong. "Come, we must return to the present." I picked her up and helped her walk back up to the portal room.

Even compared to the decomposition that had been here during my first visit, the fortress was nearly destroyed. One of the pillars that held a switch for this room had been destroyed, making it so this portal was only one way. We made our way through the catacombs and came back out through the secret passage behind the former throne. "What the!" Farah gasped. We had been expecting just a platform in the middle of a pit surrounded by water. But what lay before us was a different scene entirely.

The throne room had been rebuilt, brick for brick. Flags hung from the walls and new torches were lit, casting warm light around the area. No one was about, the room was empty except for us. New carpets decorated the floors and weapon racks adorned every corner of the room. I looked over to Farah, she looked worried. No surprise really, because the flags adorning the walls were a deep purple, and each had the image of a long pointed scythe...

.

**I hope you enjoyed reading that as much as I enjoyed writing it. I was actually so amped I wrote it ALL in one day. 3 hours actually, with breaks, but whatever. Let me know how I'm doin', good, bad? Am I not descriptive enough? Are things too easy? Characters too bland? Let me know so I can make it better!**

**Video for the 'flashback' is at: www . youtube .com/ watch?v=X2PvavTFotc&NR=1 (Remove the spaces) Only the first 45 seconds are relevant however, unless you want spoilers on what happened when the Prince's past self returned to Babylon.**

**Next chapter should be up within a week. Until then, 'May the Gods be with you!'**


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